New Jersey Devils: 5 Strange Names On Stanley Cup
The New Jersey Devils feel very far from Stanley Cup contention in 2021, but they have a very rich history of Cup contention. They’ve placed three teams on the Cup over the last 25 champions, and they had some very interesting teams. While there are the players that everyone knows, like Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, and Ken Daneyko, there are some fun names on the Stanley Cup.
Some might be backup goalies who never got into a game, others are players or coaches that Lou Lamoriello made sure got recognized on the most important trophy in sports. Lamoriello was extremely hard on those around him, but when it mattered, he would take the NHL to the woodshed to get what he wanted.
Which New Jersey Devils players are surprisingly on the Stanley Cup?
This has provided some fun names on Lord Stanley’s Cup. These names are on the Cup for decades. And when the Cup runs out of room, it heads to the Hockey Hall of Fame. That means when we’re allowed to take flying cars to Toronto, Canada, we’ll still be able to see the names Claude Lemieux and Bobby Holik on a flattened-out Cup ring.
There are stars on the Cup like Patrik Elias and Alexander Mogilny. There are playoff heroes like Grant Marshall and Valeri Zelepukin. Some of the players were fan favorites like John Madden and Sergei Brylin. There are some little-known players on the Cup, but they still wouldn’t surprise you, like Mike Rupp and Lyle Odelein.
This isn’t talking about those. This article will look at the names that will make you make a GIF-worthy face when you see their name. The Devils won three Stanley Cups, and they put more than 100 names on the trophy. Of those names, these five stand out as the weirdest.
Corey Schwab
The New Jersey Devils had the greatest goaltender in history lead them to three Stanley Cup championships. Brodeur was the reason the Devils won those Cups. A lesser goalie like Dominik Hasek (alright, kidding) wouldn’t be able to bring that kind of glory. It’s not a surprise that Brodeur played almost every single minute of playoff hockey in those three years. In total, Brodeur’s backups got a total of 36 minutes of playoff hockey in 1995, 2000, and 2003. 28 of those minutes came from Corey Schwab during the run to the 2003 Final.
Ironically, Schwab has never allowed a goal in his three postseason appearances (one came with the Toronto Maple Leafs). It is only 40 minutes of postseason play, but it’s still impressive nonetheless.
In one game, Brodeur allowed five goals to the Boston Bruins in the second round. The team was already up 3-0 in the series, so resting Brodeur and trying again the next game made sense.
The other game he appeared in came in the Stanley Cup Final, in one of the most famous Devils losses of all time. It was the Paul Kariya “off the floor, on the board” game. Kariya was knocked out by Scott Stevens in a crazy open-ice hit. It was one of the scarier moments in hockey as the Ducks star was not moving. However, minutes later, he emerged from the locker room and scored. The Ducks eventually put up five goals on Brodeur, and the Devils pulled him for the end of the game. It was the only time the Devils pulled Brodeur in the Final, and it led to Schwab getting his name on Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Robbie Ftorek
This one has to be bittersweet for Robbie Ftorek. On one hand, he gets a Stanley Cup ring and a chance to have his name live on in hockey lore. On the other hand, he was fired. Lou Lamoriello made a change at head coach just nine games before the playoffs. The players were not happy with Ftorek, especially Ken Daneyko. So, Lou made the change.
Usually, someone who is fired/traded/cut doesn’t get his name on the Stanley Cup. Well, Ftorek was different. He technically still worked for the Devils. So, it was more like a demotion than an outright firing. Lamoriello kept Ftorek as a scout for the remainder of the 1999-00 season. Larry Robinson took over the team, and there was new life among the Devils.
Ftorek probably wasn’t getting this Devils team motivated through four rounds that season. The team was incredibly talented, but playing for someone you don’t believe in just doesn’t work. It’s ironic that the coach that was fired is still on the Stanley Cup, but that’s how it worked. Terry Murray isn’t on the Los Angeles Kings 2012 Stanley Cup. You won’t see Mike Johnston’s name under the 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins. Teams usually actually move on from their removed head coaches. Not the Devils.
Ftorek was a little different since he was fired so close to the playoffs, but teams still don’t look back with names on the Stanley Cup. A lot of scouts don’t get their name on it in the first place. Lamoriello obviously felt the need to make it right, even though it was completely unnecessary.
Steve Brûlé
This is where we start to get to the “who?!?!?” territory. When most people see the name Steve Brule, they think of this meme played by John C. Reilly. Instead, we’re talking about the NHL player who has his name etched on the Stanley Cup.
Going into the playoffs, Steve Brûlé had zero games of NHL experience. So for those doing the math, Brûlé got his name on the Stanley Cup without playing one regular-season NHL game. He spent five years with the Albany River Rats, but he didn’t get a chance until the one game where he replaced John Madden in the lineup.
That one game was enough for Lou to push for his name to be etched into the world of hockey forever. He went on to play two more games in the NHL. So, someone who played literally three NHL games has his name on Lord Stanley’s Cup while Pat Lafontaine and Marcel Dionne do not. What a sport.
Brûlé went to Europe during the 2004 lockout and never attempted to make the NHL again. His career lasted another few seasons, and he eventually retired in the Canadian LNAH league. It’s a far fall from playing with Jay Pandolfo and Claude Lemieux in the Eastern Conference Finals. The former 6th-round pick finally got his shot, and it turned out to be his only real shot in the league.
Jiri Bicek
Some people might remember the name Jiri Bicek, but he’s definitely not well known. He spent about four seasons toiling between the Devils NHL and AHL teams. Between 1997 and 2004, he was in the Devils organization, but outside of that, he was mainly a European player. He finally got an extended look in the 2002-03 season, playing 44 games for the eventual Stanley Cup Champs.
He scored five goals and six assists in the regular season. He then found himself in the lineup for five games in the 2003 playoffs. Four of those games came in the Stanley Cup Final. That’s wild that the Devils trusted Bicek to play that much when he hadn’t played much in the playoffs before that.
An interesting fact about Bicek, he’s the first player out of Slovakia to win the Stanley Cup. The entire country was backing the Devils during 2003 so that one of their countrymen could finally call themselves an NHL champion.
Another wild story, when Bicek was getting his day with the Cup, which he spent in Slovakia, the airlines lost it. That’s right, the keeper of the Cup made it to Slovakia, but Lord Stanley did not. The Cup finally made it the next day, but the tight celebration schedule forced Bicek and many of his fellow Slovakians to cancel or reschedule many of the celebrations. It was wild, but an unlikely member of the Stanley Cup Champions.
Richard Šmehlík
Unlike some other players on this list, Richard Šmehlík had plenty of NHL chances, but it’s just surprising to see his name on the Stanley Cup next to the Devils. He spent nine seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before signing with the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2002 offseason. He didn’t spend much time there, and the Thrashers traded him in the middle of the season to the Devils for a 4th-round pick (the Devils also got a 6th and 8th-round pick in the deal).
Šmehlík played 12 games before the end of the season, putting up just two assists for the 2003 Devils. He ended up getting into five games for the Devils during that season, as the team had a lot of depth to help in case anyone got injured. That’s why they made the trade to bring in Šmehlík.
After 83 playoff games with the Sabres, Šmehlík was finally going to get his chance to lift the Stanley Cup. He said he wanted to retire after the season despite being just 33 years old. The Thrashers apparently wanted to sign him to a long-term deal, but he got a chance to win the ultimate prize and play four games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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It was a fun run with the 2003 Devils. It was a true team effort, as 17 different players scored during the postseason. It was, unfortunately, the last time the Devils lifted the Stanley Cup. Hopefully, the team finally has the core to eventually get back there, and then some new strange names can go on the Stanley Cup under the Devils.